Britikis was once called the City of Emperors, but the Slykan Empire was no more; now, it was the City of Overlords, a position from which not to rule, but to keep the realm safe. The great walls, usually a harsh grey granite, were covered in snow. From a distance, the sentries on its battlements resembled ranks of snowmen. The huge silver gates gleamed even as snow fell, heaving open with a loud creak at Darkus's arrival. Insulted by the Crystal Monolith, the overlord was eager to speak with his mentor.
During night, Britikis was like a deserted city. Darkus trekked through the silence, looking left and right, seeing very little. Everyone was asleep. The buildings were stone, tiled roofs drowned in snow, and windows showed only pitch black beyond.
Darkus approached the castle that once housed Slyke's emperors. Just a few decades past, the last emperor had been overthrown by a slave rebellion, led by the man who would change Slyke forever and become the first overlord. The castle itself looked mystical in the snow, a towering sturdy structure, wider than it was tall, spanning the centre of the city. Its towers were cylindrical, walls sloped near the bottom. Ice and snow covered the slopes, while the towers dripped with frost. The gate matched that of the city walls, huge and silver. These were newly added, for the original gates were embedded with images representative of the Slykan Empire's conquests; a reputation Thraydus had worked to erase.
When Darkus entered the castle, he was greeted by a pair of guards clad in steel armour and open-faced helms, carrying their tall pilum spears and large scutum shields. The appearance of the Slykan soldiers hadn't changed since the days of imperial rule.
"Welcome back, Overlord," a guard said. "How was the quest in Nixx Wood?"
"Fine," Darkus replied, hiding his agitation. "I assume Master Thraydus is sleeping?"
"Actually, I think he's still awake. I saw one of his servants rush by with warm water."
Darkus nodded. Ascending a wide stairway, he gazed upon a life-size painting hanging at the top, depicting Thraydus in his prime. A muscular yet lean man, his body marred with scars from his years in the empire's arenas. His right shoulder was covered by a bronze pauldron, and the arm beneath by bronze armour. He had a strong pair of blue eyes amidst dark, cropped hair, and a cropped beard. He held a pair of swords, one curved and one straight, and was posed holding one high.
Turning from the painting, Darkus approached his master's room. The old man was still awake, a pair of female servants wiping his bony wrinkled body with damp cloths. Even past his ninety-sixth year, Thraydus's eyes were still strong. Few hairs remained on his head, and those that did were clear grey. He smiled weakly at the sight of his successor.
"Darkus," he said. "I heard you had trouble to deal with in—uh—where was it again..." Unlike his piercing gaze, his voice was faint, marred by weakness.
"Nixx Wood, Master Thraydus," Darkus replied, taking a seat beside the bed. "The troublemakers were mages, but the terrain favoured me, and their victims fought back."
"That is good," Thraydus said.
Moments of silence followed.
"Master..." Darkus continued, "do you recall anything about the crystal they protect in Nixx Wood? The Crystal Monolith?"
"Crystal Monolith? Let me think—" The old man paused. "I recall very little, but one of its guardians was a rather attractive and passionate young lady."
Darkus chuckled on the inside at Thraydus thinking of Minara as young. "The Crystal Monolith is used to determine whether or not a person is worthy of accepting the Order's gift."
Thraydus' eyebrows raised. "Yes, I remember now. She is not so young after all, is she? Far older than I. Tell me, is she still beautiful?"
Darkus grinned. "Yes, she is. But she is a priestess. She cannot take another."
Thraydus chuckled. "It never came to mind. I always told my Erina I would take no other but her."
"Master, why did you not let them test whether they could grant you a longer life?"
"They offered me that, did they?" Thraydus paused. "I do not recall, Darkus, but I know for sure that I've never desired to live any longer than I should. I lost my fear of death long ago, back when I was still a slave. My mind may not be what it used to, but I know death's clutches are upon me. I do not fear that day, and neither should you. One day, you too will have to find a successor."
"I allowed the Crystal Monolith to judge me. It deemed me unworthy."
Thraydus paused. "That's a shame to hear, Darkus. I did not know you desired a longer life."
"I do not. I didn't even know the crystal did that when I touched it." Darkus's voice grew with frustration. "I just can't help but wonder why I would be deemed unworthy like that. What right does that thing have to—"
Thraydus raised a bony finger, silencing him.
"I remember now," the old man continued. "This is why I did not touch the crystal. Not only did I lack the desire for a longer life, I didn't think such magic had the right to place judgement on me. Very few are ever worthy of its gift, and almost all of them are priests and priestesses. Do not be offended, Darkus. You do not need a priestly order's approval to be a great overlord."
Darkus nodded, diverting his eyes. He needed to forget about the crystal; he would probably never see it again anyway. Though educated on Slyke's religion in worship of the Creator and the Ten Angels, he wouldn't regard himself a devout follower—he preferred keeping trouble away from Slyke by more practical means.
"Thank you, Master Thraydus," he muttered, giving him a bow. "I think I'll get some sleep now. I need some rest after the long journey."
*
Darkus hadn't even taken off his cloak when he saw a man in grey-blue robes rushing towards him. He knew him as one of the city's cerebromancers, one specialising in voyancy—to scan thoughts in the world around, and even attack minds. His main role in Britikis was to detect danger. It was him who'd initially told Darkus of the trouble in Nixx Wood.
"Overlord!" he called out, almost tripping over his own robe as he hurried down the hall. "Overlord, thank goodness I found you!"
"What's wrong?" Darkus asked.
"Trouble again, My Lord."
"Where?"
"Nixx Wood."
"Again? If they're going to be under attack this soon after I just returned, maybe we should just assign them sentries."
"This time is different."
"Overlord!" another voice called from the opposite end of the hall. Darkus and the cerebromancer looked to see a snow-covered guard racing towards them. "We saw something in the sky! Something big!"
"Are you sure it's not just a pegasus from Psykoria? Or even a harpy?"
"No Milord, it was scaled like a silver lizard."
Darkus paused. The only creature both winged and scaled he knew of in the annals of recorded history were the fabled dragons.
"My Lord..." the mage continued, "this is exactly what I too sensed. We have reason to believe there are dragons in Slyke, and they're attacking Nixx Wood."
Darkus went numb. "If they really are dragons..." he muttered, unable to hide the concern in his voice. "I cannot handle them alone."
"Of course not, Milord," the guard said. "I'll have however many men you need ready by morning."
"Yes, do so," Darkus replied. "But first, I wish to investigate." He looked toward the mage. "You've admitted before that no one's voyancy is perfect, which is one reason I chose not to learn it myself. While the captain is preparing the men, I'll return to Nixx Wood and investigate. I'll see if the Order knows any more about this. By the time the men are ready, it may already be too late."
"Yes, Overlord," the mage and guard said simultaneously.
Darkus wasted no more time, returning to thearmoury, where he'd left his bow and quiver. He refilled the latter with newarrows, then left the city once more. He cursed under his breath at howrestless this week had been, trying hard to take his mind off the dauntingpossibility that there might be dragons in Slyke.
YOU ARE READING
The Dragons' Will
FantasyDarkus Ryder is the Overlord of Slyke, a position tasked with enforcing justice throughout the realm. However, the presence of a mystic order of mage-priests and priestesses garners unwanted attention from dragons. If Darkus cannot stop this threat...